Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has reignited controversy by mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar once again. Last week, Banerjee drew strong criticism for mimicking Dhankhar during a protest by suspended MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar.
I will keep doing the mimicry. It is an art form. If needed, I will do it a thousand times. I have all the fundamental rights to express my views. You can put me in jail. I will not step back, India Today quoted Banerjee as saying.
Banerjee, who had already drawn censure for mimicking Dhankhar in Parliament last week, launched into a fresh tirade, questioning the chairman's sensitivity to criticism. Dhankhar gets upset over such trivial issues, Banerjee said, according to reports. He has crores of rupees in property in Jodhpur and a luxurious flat in Delhi. He wears suits worth lakhs.
This comes after Dhankhar expressed deep anguish in a statement Monday over Banerjee's previous mimicry act in Parliament, adding that he wouldn't tolerate any insult to the institution or the office of the vice president. Notably, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the incident in Parliament.
Banerjee's latest remarks seem likely to further stoke tensions between the TMC and the BJP-led NDA government, of which Dhankhar is a prominent member.